Seniors Long for Simple Pleasures After 2nd Dose of Covid Vaccine
By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, February 10, 2021
(CNN) Rosemary Connelly just wants to have a good time. The 92-year-old feels the day is near now she has her second dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
A resident at Roosevelt Care Center in Old Bridge, New Jersey, Connelly misses her family, which includes five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, one of whom was born during the pandemic. She wants to see their faces, especially the newborn she hasn't met, and join in family get-togethers and birthday soirees -- and she wouldn't mind a bloody Mary or glass of white wine.
"I'm getting out of here and partying," she said when asked her plans upon being cleared for outings. "I miss seeing my family. I miss their smiles, their hugs and their kisses. I miss the freedom of going out."
The first order of business will be to round up the babies -- and their parents, of course -- and "have fun and have a party like we used to," Connelly told CNN.
"That's what old people miss," she said. "They don't miss very much in life."
The vaccine doesn't make seniors bulletproof, but it makes them safer -- and hopeful, delivering a sense of relief after a year of oft-lonely lockdown away from the loved ones they rely on not just for errands and caretaking but conversation, company and touch.
Almost 10 million people in the United States have received their second dose. About 12% of the recipients are residents or staff at long-term care facilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but that doesn't mean the more than 600,000 seniors who've gotten both shots can jump back into their pre-pandemic lives.
Depending on the state and facility, restrictions remain in place at most assisted living, skilled nursing and retirement communities. Federal guidelines advise even after the second dose people should continue wearing masks and distancing. The CDC may soon update that guidance, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday, "I believe that's going to change."
Seniors are thirsty for normalcy, or at least what will pass for normal once the pandemic is over. It means a chance to go out for coffee, visit the beach or return to a favorite restaurant, but most of all, it means being close to family -- and not in the metaphorical sense.
Montage Hills Senior Living in Denver made a party of vaccination days, complete with balloon animals, music, a photo booth, games, shots (of Gatorade) and a whiteboard where residents wrote down what they're looking forward to, executive director Don McDonald said.
Going out for an ice cream or movie. Getting their hair done. Taking a trip to Walmart. Watching a football game with the boys. Breaking bread with a friend or neighbor. Playing bingo. Going to church. Seeing unmasked people smile. Holding a bridge tournament. Conversing face-to-face with no Plexiglas. Seniors say they're prioritizing the little things.
With the vaccine comes the promise of immunity to a virus that has killed almost a half million people in the US, the overwhelming majority 65 or older -- but also the promise of returning to simple pleasures.
Image by torstensimon from Pixabay